Westlock Healthcare Centre halts obstetrical services until Oct. 31

The Westlock Healthcare Centre as seen from Google Street View in Sept. 2012.

A lack of nurse availability means obstetrical services at the Westlock Healthcare Centre will not be available until the end of October, Alberta Health Services says.

AHS says doctors will continue to provide care to patients until the late stages of pregnancy, before transferring care to another physician who will support their delivery.

Patients will be able to receive postnatal care for themselves and their baby through their family doctor in Westlock.

Officials say the decision was made to pause services in Westlock because obstetrics is a high-risk practice that requires experts with specialized skills.

“The decision to pause obstetric services is not made lightly,” said Stacy Greening, Chief Zone Officer with AHS North Zone in a written release. “We believe in the importance of nearby health care in rural communities and are working to return to regular service as soon as possible. However, we must have the trained staff who are integral to quality care and patient safety.”

Patients will be contacted directly through their family doctor to ensure that they have a plan in place for where they will safely deliver their babies.

AHS says there will be no impact to other services at the hospital.

Westlock is about 90 kilometres north of Edmonton.